The Kernei Republic

Alonso raced at Luciano and noticed that he had superior speed to him. It was a phenomenon he didn't see too often, but he was there to block his attack easily.

He was barely moved by the incoming hit, and he replied with a punch of his own. Activating his energy shield, he could see a wave of light pass over the energy shield from the point of impact and the impact was totally nullified.

Alonso slid back slightly and managed to use his shield to contain the subsequent attacks that came his way. Using his shields weren't a great way to fight offensively and defensively but it allowed him to take some time to think of his next steps.

Luciano didn't seem bothered by his turtle-like fighting style and suddenly stepped to the side past his shields.

Seeing an opening, he kicked Alonso right in his side to drop him to a knee. With his head suspended for a split-second, Luciano drove forward his other leg but his energy shields were up just in time.

Bam!

His back slid across the white platform after receiving this blow but he just leaped back onto his feet. Advancing toward each other once again, the fighters exchanged blows and their fighting styles were glaringly different.

Alonso possessed greater speed and technique, while Luciano overwhelmed him with pure power.

He whipped his arm around for a hook but the bruiser dipped under. Still in a crouched position, he unleashed two power punches into Alonso's stomach.

The force behind the strike was felt even in his internal organs, and his first instinct was to flop to the floor.

However, he was experienced when it came to receiving powerful blows. His legs felt weak and heavy, then Luciano aimed further up and landed a devastating right straight to his face.

He coughed out blood and felt incredibly weak, while Luciano just looked at him with guilt on his face. Michael felt the need to step in after noticing his stumble, but he felt more relaxed to see that he looked more stable over time.

His steps were more controlled and his mech was hard at work to heal his body and repair itself.

"I'm sorry, I hit you too hard there." Luciano said, hurrying to his side.

Alonso raised to his feet quite quickly and deactivated his mech seconds later.

"Don't worry, I've been hit with serious hits in the past, I'm all good." He insisted, dusting off his uniform.

Luciano wasn't as technical as him but just had more experience using mechs and fighting those that used mechs.

Alonso decided to refine his training as much as possible during his time. He wasn't going to find free ventures in PRAs very easily – most PRAs had no free offers. However, he remained hardworking and disciplined.

What he noticed that as his mech could heal his body faster, he would recover from training faster. Even without his mech, he could move with greater speed and power than usual.

Before spending long times in missions, people would spend their time feasting. His parents were already aware of the trip and had given permission for Alonso to go, so they gave him large, nutritious meals.

This was because people needed a reliable reserve fuel for their battles. Constantly battling required vast amounts of energy and the battery stores of mechs just weren't sufficient for these things.

The 4 weeks came and went, and the students stood in a group out in the fields of the school.

There were numerous staff members that stood with them, and the students were equipped with various modules. Many students had bought new coolants, but Alonso, Luciano and Michael had all chosen not to.

All mechs came with a basic coolant and they were not going to break the bank to just get something they didn't need.

Their coolant wasn't going to be incapable of regulating their temperature, it was just that it would be much less variable and efficient.

They had to endure the chances of losing significant amounts of power since they had no funds to get a new module.

The grass beneath their feet fluttered, then started to flow intensely. They felt waves of air being shot toward them and a large military aircraft was descending ahead of them.

It was a bluish grey and had large spinning blades that released waves of high-speed air outward. It had glowing lines of energy across its body and seemed large enough to carry hundreds of people.

"Students, you are going to spend 5 days performing your mission. Once we arrive, your mission starts shortly after and once we are complete, we will return here." Mr Piedrabuena announced.

He continued to instruct the students as they were packing on their luggage and items. They were going to spend nearly a week in this place so people took several changes of clothes and the richer students, like Kai and Bernando, even had spare modules at hand.

"Our destination is Military Station A3 of the Kernei Republic. Whenever you need to count the crystals that you attain, make sure to return to the base."

The workers took the students' luggage and provided special name tags to them. This consisted of disposable paper tags that they'd wrap around the handles. All of these labour workers had their mechs activated in order to move heavier load.

Utilising the brute strengths of their mechs, they could carry hundreds of kilograms as if it was just a few kilograms of weight.

"It'll take us only around 10 minutes to reach the FTL Outpost and once we arrive on Kernei, it'll be another 5 minutes or so before we arrive at Military Station A3." He further explained.

The students were loaded on board, and the opening in the aircraft was lifted up shut. Ahead of the declined platform were rows of seats for the students to strap themselves into. The teachers went through a special door that led to the cockpit, where they'd be staying.

The students were forced to activate their mechs since the force that this plane would output during acceleration was fatal without one.

"Hypersonic systems ready. Systems online." A pilot signalled, activating the high speed rotor blades once again.

He continued tapping at the complex dashboard, equipped with a black mech.

This aircraft lifted into the air then special engines started to angle themselves by its side.

VOOM!

It gained speed incredibly fast and reached speeds of 14000 miles per hour, nearly mach 20.

It crossed hundreds of miles in and a flash and arrived at the special FTL Outpost. Some of the students looked excited by the extravagant views of the outpost, while others didn't.

Particularly Kai and Bernando. Prestigious families sometimes even owned certain parts of dungeon planets.

This gave them large amounts of revenue through operating that owned area, but they could also send their promising younglings to train there too.

It entered the complex system of pathways, and they could hear the loud roaring of super-accelerating aircraft. The area was illuminated by circular, pure white lights that were littered across the main cylinder that these paths extended from.

Finding an open path, the helicopter-like aircraft edged forward and the walls surrounding them began to hum.

The hum turned into an intense noise then the aircraft was shut forward with immense speed. The windows had been covered by shutters to stop them shattering.

The windows were slowly revealed again and they were then given the beautiful view of Kernei. It was a ball of dust that was an orange-gold like the setting sun, and they could see the largest sandstorms swaying across its surface.

The plane was still thousands of miles from the surface so it activated its hypersonic speed systems once again and shot down toward the planet. This trip only took minutes and the planet soon consumed their entire field of view.

Soon enough, they arrived on a paved helipad, which was surrounded by several buildings and towers. In the distance, was a glass circular dome and the concrete ground was covered in particles of dust.

Fwoosh!

As the aircraft descended, waves of air were released that lifted the surrounding sand.

Dum!

"Here we are students! Welcome to the Kernei Republic." Mr Piedrabuena said, revealing himself from the cockpit.